West Denton Primary School pupils in bid for Christmas number one

PUPILS on Tyneside have joined the biggest race on the music calendar in a bid to become Christmas number one.

West Denton Primary School pupils at the launch of the single "There You'll Be"

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PUPILS on Tyneside have joined the biggest race on the music calendar in a bid to become Christmas number one.

The children at West Denton Primary School in Newcastle have recorded a charity single to raise money for the Royal British Legion.

The song is a cover of the Faith Hill classic There You’ll Be and the children are accompanied by previous X Factor finalist Toni Marie Oetting and professional musician Compton McDonald.

Earlier this year the children, aged between four and 11, recorded a CD in aid of the Poppy Appeal which featured modern pop songs as well as wartime classics, such as We’ll Meet Again.

The CD was recorded at Newcastle College’s Performance Academy and they shot a video, which was uploaded to the video sharing website You Tube.

The pupils also got the chance to perform songs from their album, called Never Forget, to a packed audience at Newcastle City Hall in May.

In their latest bid to support the Royal British Legion, the children will be taking on this year’s X Factor’s James Arthur, who is currently at the top spot with Impossible.

Their toughest competition, however, will be The Justice Collective, with their cover of He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother, which is the official Hillsborough charity single and the bookies’ favourite.

Toni said: “Some time ago we recorded a charity song for Royal British Legion which we are now ready to unleash on the world in our efforts to get to Christmas number one.

“We believe ourselves to be the underdogs in this race and are hoping that people at least take the time to find out more about what we have already achieved in the region.”

The project has its own page on Facebook, called WDPS Project Xmas 2012, and is available to download from iTunes.

Army veteran and West Denton Primary governor Ian Proud, 48, is also the Gateshead Poppy Appeal organiser for the Royal British Legion. He said: “The children are absolutely fantastic on the song and have created a single which speaks of their care and respect for our Armed Forces.”

Headteacher Mick Mingstones added: “We think it’s very important that our pupils think about the sacrifices soldiers make and also to remember those that have been injured or killed in service.”